Men & Women One Game From Nationals
MORRISTOWN, Tennessee - Walters State (30-1) used a career-best performance from freshman guard A.J. Thomas to eliminate Southwest Tennessee, 85-71, Saturday afternoon in ‘Z’ Buda Gymnasium on the campus of Walters State.
Walters State meets Motlow State, a 71-50 winner over Cleveland State, at 2 p.m. for a berth in the NJCAA national tournament in Hutchinson (Ks.) beginning March 18.
Thomas, a Memphis native, lit up his hometown team for a career-high 35 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field, including a sizzling 7-of-9 from 3-point distance. He was 10-of-11 from the foul line.
Thomas received solid support from his backcourt mate Terrance Britt. The sophomore point guard tallied 13 points, eight assists and four steals. Freshman forward Laquantis Stewart scored 11 points while sophomore forward Sirlester Martin pulled down 13 rebounds (six offensive).
Dominique Johnson fired in 23 points for Southwest (14-14). Leon Martin finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds while DeAngelo Riley chipped in 11 points and nine rebounds.
In a game that featured 96 missed shots, the Walters State women’s basketball team made enough baskets to secure a 55-47 victory over Chattanooga State Saturday night in the semifinals of the TJCCAA/NJCAA Region VII tournament held at ‘Z’ Buda Gymnasium on the campus of Walters State.
With the win, the Lady Senators collected their 28th win against four losses and square off against Southwest Tennessee today at 4 p.m. for the right to compete in the NJCAA national tournament in Salina (Ks.) beginning March 18.
Redshirt freshman guard Rhon’Neisha Taylor led Walters State in scoring with 13 points while grabbing eight rebounds. Sophomore forward Dana Garrett nearly posted a triple-double as she finished with nine points, 16 rebounds and eight assists.
The Lady Senators made just 21-of-70 shots from the floor, including 2-of-6 on 3-point attempts, for an even 30 percent.
Irish McDonald led the Lady Tigers (21-8) in scoring with 13 points. For the game, Chattanooga State was 17-of-64 from the field (4-of-21 from 3-point range) for an ice-cold 26.6 percent.